The 2008 Brawling Battleships Steel championship game
saw Pat Mirk -- the only tournament recipient of the legendary
curse of Mata Hari -- finally win the championship. In 2007,
Mirk -- a veteran WBC player -- was topped by an almost impossible
play by Andrew Chitwood who pulled three event cards, both Mata
Hari cards (a spy card that lets you draw two cards from an opponent's
hand) and the Radio Intercept card that lets you draw two cards
from the discard pile. Andrew Chitwood the youngest player ever
to make the Final decided to steal two of Pat Mirk's cards, who
was sitting immediately to his left, normally the play is better
against players to the right, but since he needed a ride home
he decided not to play Mata Hari on his stepfather Stephen Shedden,
who had also qualified for the Final in a separate heat. Everyone
at the table was surprised though when Andrew played the second
Mata Hari on Mirk, reducing him to two cards. When Andrew then
played the Radio Intercept card and picked up both Mata Hari
cards from the discard pile everyone at the table immediately
encouraged him to play the third spy on Mirk to let him have
the distinct honor of being the sole recipient of Mata Hari's
curse. For his anguish, Pat received a nice prize to commemorate
the notoriety.

Brawling Battleships Steel had a new GM and new format
this year being played in a single round. The change in format
still rewarded capable play by Steve Raszewski and David Huss,
both prior champions, making the Finals once again. The recent
change in the tournament form, qualifying heats to a single session,
single elimination tournament was so successful that it may be
continued next year. Alas, the GM who failed to fulfill his report
obligation will have to be replaced.